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Introduction
The messianic significance of two genealogies attributed to Jesus that are recorded in the New Testament along with carefully selected genealogical data from the Christian "Old Testament" comprise an important component in the portfolio of Christian missionaries. Their intent is to focus one's attention on declarations made in the New Testament concerning Jesus being the Messiah and on supporting arguments drawn from so-called Scriptural evidence found in both the New Testament and the "Old Testament".
In this lesson we shall examine the claims in the New Testament that Jesus is a descendant of King David (which, if it were true, would entitle him to be an heir to the Davidic throne) vis-à-vis the basic messianic concepts of Judaism according to the Hebrew Bible. This will be a segue to a closer look at the two genealogies in the New Testament, where they will be compared against the Davidic genealogy in the Hebrew Bible.
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Overview of the Two Genealogies in the New TestamentThe Christian messianic paradigm is founded on the following two genealogies recorded for Jesus in the New Testament:
• The genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:2-16) – Christians agree that it depicts the lineage of Jesus through Joseph• The genealogy in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 3:23-38) – Christians do not agree if it represents the lineage of Jesus through Mary or another lineage through Joseph
Several characteristics of these two genealogies are worth noting: The genealogy recorded in the Gospel of Matthew runs forward in time from Abraham to Jesus, and is divided into three series of 14 generations each, totaling 41 generations (Jechonias is included twice). The first, and earliest series in time, spans 14 generations: from Abraham to David; the second series spans 14 generations: from Solomon to Jechonias; and the third series spans 14 generations: from Jechonias to Jesus. The genealogy recorded in the Gospel of Luke runs backward in time from Jesus to God, and is divided into four series. The first, and latest series in time, spans 21 generations: from Jesus to Zorobabel; the second series spans 21 generations: from Salathiel to Nathan; the third series spans 14 generations: from David to Abraham; and the fourth series spans 21 generations: from Thare to God, where it concludes with:
Note that the author makes no distinction between the son of a (mortal) man and a son of God. The Matthew genealogy ends this way:
Verse 16 seems to have been carefully constructed to “set the stage” for the narrative of the “Virgin Birth” (Matt 1:18-25). The Luke genealogy starts this way:
Verse 23 seems to have been carefully fashioned to “harmonize” it with the earlier narrative of the “Virgin Birth” (Lk 1:26-25)
Luke 3:38(KJV) – Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.
Matthew 1:15-16(KJV) – (15) And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; (16) And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Luke 3:23-24(KJV) – (23) And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, (24) Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph,
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Back to Basics: The Most Elementary Concepts in the Jewish Messianic Paradigm
The messianic vision, an original concept that is at the heart of traditional Judaism, appears in the Hebrew Bible as early as Genesis 49:1, where Jacob summons his sons in order to bestow his blessings upon them. This chapter and the blessing of Judah, the father of the commanding Tribe of Israel, in particular (Genesis 49:8-12), could be viewed as the cornerstone of traditional Judaism’s messianic paradigm. In his blessing of Judah Jacob said:
The closing phrase in the blessing given to Judah defines the role of יַח� ִׁש� the promised Jewish ,(maSHI'ah) ָמ�Messiah, in the world.
With Judah's destiny defined, one can expect the next significant messianic statement to be made during the reign of King David, the first king of Israel from the Tribe of Judah. Sure enough, the Davidic dynasty, from which יַח� ִׁש� is to emerge, was established when the prophet Nathan conveyed to David the following ָמ�promise from God:
Let’s take a closer look at this promise in order to determine what it includes and what it doesn’t include.
Genesis 49:10 - The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff, until Shiloh come, and to him shall gather the nations.
2Samuel 7:12-16 – (12) When your days are fulfilled, and you shall lie with your forefathers, then I will raise up your seed that shall issue from your body after you, and I will establish his kingdom. (13) He shall build a house for My Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. (14) I will be to him a father, and he shall be to Me a son; so that when he goes astray I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with afflictions of human beings. (15) And My mercy shall not depart from him; in the manner in which I withdrew it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. (16) And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you; your throne shall be established forever.
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God’s Promise to King David
The promise includes the following elements:
The promise does not include these elements:
Several of these elements will be applied to the analysis of Christian missionary claims in the Section 2.
An everlasting dynasty, the Davidic dynasty, is established with David David's heir to the throne, through whom this dynasty shall pass, will be one of his natural
(biological) sons The son who inherits the throne from David is the one who will build the Temple in Jerusalem The Davidic dynasty will propagate through David's seed (¬² � � [ZEra]), i.e., via his direct descendants Every future king who sits upon the throne of David will be a mortal man Every future king who sits upon the throne of David will have a special "father-son" relationship with
God, so that when he sins, he will be duly punished Even when future kings (in David's seat) commit iniquity, God will keep the Davidic dynasty intact,
and not terminate it as He did with Saul's kingship
The throne of David will always be occupied by a reigning king A special future king (in David's seat) will be fathered by someone who is not a direct descendant of
David A special future king (in David's seat) will be conceived by and born to a virgin who will remain a
virgo intacta throughout the full term of her pregnancy A special future king (in David's seat) will be a deity, and even share a triune godhead with God A special future king (in David's seat) will be born and remain forever free of sin A special future king (in David's seat) will preside over a heavenly, not an earthly kingdom A special future king (in David's seat) will "build" a heavenly, not an earth ly Temple
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Hebrew Bible & New Testament Genealogies from King David Forward
Hebrew Bible New Testament
# 1 Chronicles 3:5-24 (JPT) Remarks # Matthew 1:6-16 (KJV) # Luke 3:23-31 (KJV)
1. David 1. David 1. David
2. SolomonAlso listed as David's sons by Bathsheba are: Nathan, Shimea, Shovav.
2. Solomon 2. Nathan
3. Rehoboam 3. Roboam 3. Mattatha
4. Abijah 4. Abiah 4. Menan
5. Asa 5. Asa 5. Melea
6. Jehoshaphat 6. Josaphat 6. Eliakim
7. Joram 7. Joram 7. Jonan
8. Ahaziah 8. Joseph
9. Joash 9. Juda
10. Amaziah 10. Simeon
11. Azariah Also known as Uzziah. 8. Ozias 11. Levi
12. Jotham 9. Joatham 12. Matthat
13. Ahaz 10. Achaz 13. Jorim
14. Hezekiah 11. Ezekias 14. Eliezer
15. Menasseh 12. Manasses 15. Jose
16. Amon 13. Amon 16. Er
17. Josiah 14. Josias 17. Elmodam
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Hebrew Bible & New Testament Genealogies from King David Forward(Continued)
Hebrew Bible New Testament
18.Jehoiakim (changed from Eliakim by Pharaoh Necho)
Also listed as Josiah's sons are: Johanan (the firstborn), Mattaniah (also known as Zedekiah, the last king of ), and Shallum (also known as Jehoahaz).
18. Cosam
19. Addi
20. Melchi
19. JeconiahAlso listed as a son of Jehoiakim is Zedekiah.
15. Jechonias 21. Neri
20. ShealtielAlso listed as a son of Jeconiah is Assir.
16. Salathiel 22. Salathiel
21. Pedaiah
Also listed as Shealtiel's sons are: Malchiram, Shenazar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.
22. ZerubbabelAlso listed as a son of Pedaiah is Shimei.
17. Zorobabel 23. Zorobabel
23. Hananiah
Also listed as Zerubbabel's sons are: Meshullam, Ohel, Berechiah, and Hasadiah-Jushab-Hesed.
18. Abiud 24. Rhesa
24. JeshaiahAlso listed as a son of Hananiah is Pelatiah.
19. Eliakim 25. Joanna
25. Rephaiah 20. Azor 26. Juda
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Hebrew Bible & New Testament Genealogies from King David Forward (continued)
Hebrew Bible New Testament
26. Arnan 21. Sadoc 27. Joseph
27. Obadiah 22. Achim 28. Semei
28. Shechaniah 23. Eliud 29. Mattathias
29. Shemaiah 24. Eleazar 30. Maath
30. NeariahAlso listed as Shemaiah's sons are: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, and Shaphat.
31. Nagge
31. ElioenaiAlso listed as Neariah's sons are: Hezekiah and Azrikam.
32. Esli
Listed sons of Elioenai are: Hodaviahu, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Dalaiah, and Anani.
33. Naum
34. Amos
35. Mattathias
36. Joseph
37. Janna
38. Melchi
39. Levi
25. Matthan 40. Matthat
26. Jacob 41. Heli
27. Joseph 42. Joseph
28. Jesus 43. Jesus
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Analysis of the Two Genealogies in the New Testament
According to Christian theology, Jesus was the promised Messiah. Therefore, it is important to be familiar with the "evidence" offered by the authors of the New Testament in support of this doctrine:
If these statements were true, Jesus would have met the requirement stated in the Hebrew Bible, that the Messiah must be a direct descendant of King David.
Let us consider the two genealogies in the New Testament and note the following issues:
The authors of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke refer to Jesus as the son of David:
Matthew 1:1(KJV) – The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. [See also Matthew 9:27, 12:23, 15:22, 20:30,31, 21:9,15, 22:42; Mark 10:47,48; Luke 18:38,39]
The author of the Gospel of John, and Paul, the author of Romans, 2Timothy, and several other book in the New Testament, refer to Jesus as the being of the seed of David:
Romans 1:3(KJV) - Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; [See also John 7:42; 2Timothy 2:8]
In addition to sharing common start and end points – David, and Jesus, respectively – these two genealogies have three intermediate points at which they converge – Salathiel, Zorobabel, and Joseph.
This is a rather complex, perhaps impossible, scheme. It should be noted, by contrast, that the 14 generations listed in the first series of the Matthew genealogy (from Abraham through David) match (in reverse order) the 14 generations listed in the third series of the Luke genealogy (from David through Abraham).
The approximate span of time from the birth of David to the death of Jesus was 1,070 years. This would translate to an average of approximately 38 years per generation for the Matthew genealogy, and about 25 years per generation for the Luke genealogy.
An increase of 52% in the average generational span for the Matthew genealogy relative to the Luke genealogy or, conversely, a decrease of 34% in the average generational span for the Luke genealogy relative to the Matthew genealogy, is a significant variance that cannot be attributed to chance alone.
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Analysis of the Two Genealogies in the New Testament (continued)
Christians agree that the Matthew genealogy is that of Jesus via Joseph, yet they do not agree on whose the Luke genealogy is. Some say it is Mary's genealogy, even though her name is missing from it; others hold that it is Jesus’ lineage via Joseph “by Law”, and the Matthew genealogy is his lineage via Joseph “by Nature”.
Complicating the problem of the Luke genealogy leading to David via Nathan and not Solomon is the dilemma for the Luke genealogy being Mary’s. According to Torah, Tribal lineage is determined exclusively by the biological (natural) father (e.g., Numbers 1:18). Consequently, female genealogies are irrelevant to bloodline and, in general, are not listed in the Hebrew Bible.
Several serious problems arise from the other claim, that both are genealogies of Jesus – Matthew's being his genealogy “by Nature“, and Luke's being his genealogy “by Law”:
If, according to the New Testament, the Holy Spirit was the natural father of Jesus, then Jesus cannot be the natural son of Joseph; and, since tribal lineage is a blood-right, the claim to David's throne cannot be passed from Joseph to Jesus merely through "adoption".
On the other hand, if Joseph was the natural father of Jesus, then the Curse of Jeconiah (see Sec. IV.C) is passed on from Joseph to Jesus along with the tribal lineage and any other blood-rights and, then too, Jesus would be mortal.
One class of arguments being offered to explain the convergence of the two genealogies at Zorobabel, Salathiel, and Joseph, and ending at Jesus, involves the idea of a “Levirate Marriage” taking place at various points along the way. An analysis of these arguments reveals that the last such marital union, which resulted in the birth of Joseph, was not a valid “Levirate Marriage”.
Another class of arguments being offered to explain the convergence of the two genealogies at Zorobabel, Salathiel, and Joseph, and ending at Jesus, combines the notion of a “Levirate Marriage” taking place in the last stage, of which Joseph was the product, with an assumption that the Zorobabel and Salathiel in the Matthew genealogy were different persons from the Zorobabel and Salathiel in the Luke genealogy. In view of the fact that these two names are rare in the Hebrew Bible – they belong to only a single pair of individuals – it is rather unlikely that they represent persons in the Luke genealogy who are different from those bearing the same names in both the Matthew and 1Chronicles 3 genealogies.
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Analysis of the Two Genealogies in the New Testament (continued)
Given the choices of genealogies from King David going forward – the two genealogies in the New Testament or the genealogy of 1st Chronicles in the Hebrew Bible – which would you accept as trustworthy and accurate?
The Matthew genealogy, going forward from David to Zorobabel, does not match the corresponding genealogy recorded in 1Chronicles 3 of the Hebrew Bible. It appears that, in order to create a genealogy that would suit his purpose, the author of the Gospel of Matthew had to take the following actions:
Leave out the generations that correspond to Kings Ahazia, Joash, Amaziah, and Eliakim/Jehoiakim.
Leave out the generation that corresponds to Pedaiah, the son of Shealtiel. Create new names for the generations going forward from Zerubbabel, none of which match
the names that appear for the corresponding generations in the genealogy of 1Chronicles 3. Leave out the generations that correspond to Neariah, the son of Shemaiah, and Elioenai, the
son of Neariah.
The Luke genealogy, going forward from David to Zorobabel, does not match the corresponding genealogy recorded in 1Chronicles 3 of the Hebrew Bible. It appears that, in order to create a genealogy that would suit his purpose, the author of the Gospel of Luke had to take the following actions:
Come up with a set of new names except for Shealtiel and Zerubbabel. Decrease the average generational span to ~25 years relative to the average generational
span of ~38 years in the Matthew genealogy, a reduction of ~13 years or ~34%, which is significant.
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Analysis of the Two Genealogies in the New Testament (continued)
It is interesting to note what Paul wrote about genealogies:
Perhaps he recognized the problems with the two hopelessly irreconcilable genealogies recorded in the New Testament. He teaches Christians that certain parts of the Bible – the genealogies, which include those of Jesus – are akin to fables and foolish questions, and, therefore, must not be given heed and should be avoided, since they raise questions and have no value. Yet, in spite of these admonitions, Christian missionaries persist with their genealogical mind games.
1Timothy 1:4(KJV) - Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Titus 3:9(KJV) - But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.
Conclusion: The two genealogies recorded in the New Testament are internally inconsistent and irreconcilable, and significant portions thereof are at variance with corresponding spans listed in the Hebrew Bible. It is, therefore, not possible to rely on the information contained in them, nor is it possible to identify, with any degree of certainty, whose genealogies they are.
